


How to Understand

by exfatalist



Series: How-To Guides [1]
Category: Young Avengers
Genre: Alien Biology, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bullying, Community: trope_bingo, Gender Discrimination Within Alpha/Beta/Omega Universe Setting, Gender Roles, Getting Together, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-15
Updated: 2013-03-15
Packaged: 2017-12-05 09:01:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/721287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exfatalist/pseuds/exfatalist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Billy hates the fact that he's omega, but not as much as he hates the misinformed assumptions about omegas in general - and the fact that his team takes those assumptions to heart when judging him. Teddy isn't interested in letting either of those things stand in the way of getting to know his teammate.</p><p>-</p><p>Young Avengers set in an Omegaverse, though volume 1 issues 1-6.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How to Understand

**Author's Note:**

> **Trigger Warning(s)** : This fic includes mentions of school bullying, child abuse as it relates to bullying, and gender discrimination/bigotry in an alpha/beta/omega universe setting.

When they first began training a few weeks ago, they were on a codename only basis. He was Asgardian and convinced it was stupid to have a codename without a mask. Patriot kept his mask on and fiercely argued tactics. And Hulkling could be anyone beneath all the green, if the extent of his shapeshifting powers was true.

The only common denominator was Iron Lad. Nate. They all knew his identity and he knew all of theirs, but everyone had agreed to wait until it felt right - until the team began to gel - to cement everything with proper introductions. 

Tonight had been the night. They ran through a successful training exercise under Iron Lad's instruction and had somehow managed to complete it without an argument sparking or anyone crashing into anybody else. It was the first time they all really felt like a team and they all came to a consensus that it was time.

Patriot went first. His name was Eli Bradley and anyone up enough on their Captain America lore would know why, combined with his super soldier powers, that was important.

Hulkling was next and shrank down to a height that was, surprisingly, on par with everyone else. His name was Teddy Altman and he kind of had a million watt smile beneath the self-conscious hunch of his shoulders.

Asgardian almost forgot to reveal himself after that. He took off his headband, just to have something that felt like unmasking, and gave an awkward wave. "Billy Kaplan. Hi."

After Iron Lad removed his helmet, just for the show of it, they stood around awkwardly kicking at the grass, like they didn't know what to do with themselves with everything on the table. It lasted for half a minute, before Eli asked: "So, you're an omega?"

It was probably something everyone had been dancing around, Billy got that, but it still caught him off guard. Even without the usual malice with which the question was directed, he still fumbled with his answer.

"Is that a problem?" Teddy demanded, stepping up and looking about five inches taller suddenly. 

"That's what I'm asking," Eli clarified. "Is that going to be a problem?"

Nate looked, if anything, confused. "Why would it be a problem?"

"Okay, what, people don't present in the future or something?" Eli skeptically demanded.

"As a matter of fact, no," Nate answered, his tone becoming just a bit fascinated as he turned to Eli to explain the finer points of evolution over the thousands of years spanning their respective time periods. Two sentences in and Eli looked like he wished he'd never asked.

Teddy turned, when he saw the discussion sufficiently quelled, and was his usual non-Hulkling height by the time he stepped back over to Billy. "You cool?"

Hating himself for not being quicker to his own defense, Billy just nodded.

"Can I walk you home?" Teddy wondered, rubbing the back of his head in an awkward gesture.

Billy felt his cheeks heating up. "I don't need - " he began.

No doubt realizing how it must have seemed, Teddy launched into his own explanation. "I mean, not like that - "

And everything sort of overlapped, the two of them trying to get out their respective statements as quickly as possible.

"Just because I'm an omega - "

"No, like, just as teammates - "

" - doesn't mean I'm defenseless or weak or - "

" - or, uh, friends?"

" - that I need some asshole - "

"It's not like that! I'm not - I don't - "

" - pissing all over me to stake a claim."

"No. Asgar - er, Billy. No. Sorry. I just. You're cool? I wanted to. Hang out. But it's fine. Sorry."

Billy looked up from scuffing his shoe angrily into the dirt and saw that Teddy had backed up a whole foot, holding both hands up in a placating gesture. He felt like an asshole, himself, but if it wasn't some dumb jock at school trying to assert himself by ‘taming’ an omega, it was a solicitous beta trying to woo him under the guise of friendship. Because betas only proved they had backbones the minute they thought they had a chance to snatch an omega away from whatever alpha was sniffing around.

Honestly, he had no idea how Teddy presented. As many times as he'd been thrown into Hulkling during their training sessions, he hadn't picked up a single solitary scent. But he had enough experience to know what the whole situation felt like. 

"Good," he said and it was likely the most decisive thing he'd said in his life so far. Which was actually pretty great, because he wanted very badly to apologize and was chalking that up to his own nature, which sucked. It was better to quell that and be assertive, even if it meant dealing with feeling like a jerk for however long. With the expression Teddy wore, all guilty and chastised, ‘however long’ was probably going to be forever.

To stamp down the desire to submit even further, Billy announced: "So, if no one has any objections, I'm going to go home and somehow manage not to get raped on the way. You know, like I do every night. Cool? Cool."

Eli wore an expression like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on his head and Teddy looked increasingly like a lost puppy. To his credit, Nate continued to seem as confused as he had, with a little concern mixed in. 

But no one objected and Billy left.

◊

The problem with Nate discussing the finer points of evolution with Eli just so happened to be that discussion was a two-way street. While Nate no doubt shared some revelations about the future, Eli must have shared some 'facts' about the present.

By their next training session, Iron Lad had decided Asgardian needed more hand-to-hand combat training. 

"No," Asgardian argued, "I don't. I'm not a tank, guys. I'm here for support magic. I have more MP than HP! Level grinding isn't going to change my job class."

Both Iron Lad and Patriot had unreadable expressions behind their masks, but Hulkling was doing his very best to keep from laughing. 

"Come on, Black Mage," he said, shrinking down to a smaller version of his green persona and motioning Asgardian to one side of their chosen training field. "I'll let you go easy on me."

As it turned out, Asgardian did end up going easy on him. At least where average, lanky teenage human strength versus restrained superhuman strength was concerned. Hulkling declared, by the end of their sparring match, that Asgardian didn't actually need any more hand-to-hand training than the rest of them - and should probably concentrate on flying, if they wanted to make it to places in one piece.

Iron Lad seemed to take this at face value, even if Patriot still sounded skeptical, and the rest of their training session went on without anyone making overt assumptions about Asgardian’s ability as related to his gender.

"So," Teddy said conversationally, falling into step with Billy as they left the park, "that was an omega thing, right?"

If it wasn't for knowing Teddy usually walked in this direction to catch the subway, Billy would have been questioning his motives. He always questioned everyone's motives, when it came to things even as simple as walking beside him. Instead, he just rolled his eyes. "Of course it was an omega thing. I see Patriot is drinking that macho alpha Kool Aid."

"I have no idea what that means," the other boy admitted, his smile sort of bemused. 

"You've never heard that omegas are weaker than everyone else?" Billy demanded. "That omegas can't make rational decisions around alphas? That their hormones cloud their judgment? That all omegas are good for is popping out a few kids and staying home to raise them?"

Teddy shrugged, half-smiling in an uncomfortable way. "Yeah, I guess. But it just sounds ... really stupid. Like, seriously, who even believes that?"

"Everyone!" snapped Billy. "Alphas, betas, even most omegas. But you want to know the truth? You want to know about omega hormones?"

Stopping short, Teddy turned to give Billy his full attention. It was so surprising that it took the wind out of Billy's sails and he just sort of blinked for a moment. His annoyance ebbed a little, to the point that he could reserve it especially for Eli (or Nate, if the occasion called for it), rather than letting it get to Teddy, too.

"The truth is," Billy explained with a sigh, "alphas are the ones who lack control. They can't control themselves and they sure as hell can't control omegas. If an omega said no, an alpha would have no choice but to obey. And that kills them."

“Er,” Teddy started. “Like, literally kills them? ‘Cause you hear about - “

Billy looked unimpressed. “It can. Not so much these days, thanks to medical science being concerned as hell about alpha health. Death by blue balls probably ranked higher on priority lists than cancer until they found a cure.”

The other boy looked contemplative, then shook his head. "So, everything you hear about omegas ... "

"It's bullshit. Basically."

After an awkward pause, Billy turned and began walking in their original direction, a little relieved when Teddy fell into step next to him as opposed to keeping an extreme distance. "They outlawed bonding in favor of marriage because alphas bond for life, but omegas don't," he went on, trying to be conversational. "An omega can walk away from a bond whenever they want, no big deal. It ruins an alpha for life, they can’t bond again."

Teddy was quiet for a long moment. "No offense, but that sounds awful."

"Yeah," Billy agreed. On the one hand, he could almost see how things turned out the way they did. How society evolved, with alphas in power trying to tip the scales in their favor in every respect, for the sake of all their weaknesses to omegas. Being huge, beautiful specimens of humanity didn't sound half as impressive once one factored in the lovesick, starved-for-affection thing.

They walked for a few blocks in relative silence, right past the entrance to the subway Billy thought Teddy would be taking. He wondered, then, if Teddy was walking him home without bothering to ask or receive permission this time around. 

"Can I ask you something?" Billy asked, without any intention of actually bringing up what his mind was currently on.

"Sure."

There was a little moment of hesitance before Billy worked up the nerve to outright wonder, "What are you? Er. No offense. It's just - you don't have much of a scent. I know suppressants do that for omegas, but you look - I mean - they don't have the same thing for alphas, do they? If they did, I can name a hundred people at my school who need it."

He was babbling and Teddy was looking at him curiously, so Billy shut up and let him answer.

Teddy just shrugged. "I don't think I'm any of the above. I guess."

"Is that possible?"

"I can turn into a big green monster and I just got recruited to be a superhero," Teddy pointed, "I'm pretty sure anything's possible."

The smile Teddy wore was contagious and Billy found himself smiling in spite of himself, in spite of having left the park livid and outraged and kind of secretly hating himself. "I guess you're right."

"So, it's cool to hang out, then, right? If I'm not - you know - going to mark my territory or something?"

The question brought back last week's feelings. Billy was just such an asshole. But he figured the thing about choosing to be assertive or it being part of a biological imperative was getting to choose to assert an apology, rather than remain a slave to one's hormones forever.

"Look," he began, putting both hands in his pockets and hunching his shoulders awkwardly. "I'm, uh, sorry about the other night. I was just - upset. I know you're not ... like that."

Teddy tilted his head, glancing sidelong at Billy, no doubt in an attempt to discern what ‘like that’ entailed. "If I'm into someone," the blond explained, "it's not because of what they are. I care about who a person is more than how they, I dunno, smell?"

Something about that made Billy ridiculously happy. Maybe not even the idea of Teddy being into him, specifically, but just that there was more to life for some people than animalistic urges. That, maybe, he could hang out with someone and not overthink things for once. Maybe he could have a friend of a different gender without wondering. 

"Cool," was all Billy ultimately said on the subject, a bit too embarrassed by his runaway train of thought to give any of it actual voice. He liked to think that Teddy would get it, if he had bothered saying any of it. Teddy had a way of understanding things.

"Yeah," Teddy agreed, just as monosyllabic. 

After another few blocks, they parted ways, but not without semi-awkwardly swapping phone numbers.

◊

Teddy liked to text, especially between classes and in study periods. He called their training exercises in the park Fight Club and originally they were texting exclusively about that. Then, after a few nerdy jokes, it just sort of exploded into texting about everything: school, music, movies, games. Teddy ended half his sentences in emotes, like he didn't care about looking cool, and it was about the time Billy set a custom notification sound up on his phone that he realized he was pretty much half in love with his teammate.

(It apparently didn’t take much for him, once you got past scents and gender.)

Teddy was also struggling with Trig, Billy discovered. But mostly for lack of application and being stuck in a class with someone who used to be his best friend that he’d had a falling out with. Which is how Billy ended up suggesting they meet after school, on a night not dedicated to Fight Club, to study together. 

It wasn’t until Teddy was standing outside his bedroom door and announced himself with _mellon_ in response to the ‘ _Speak Friend and Enter_ ’ sign that Billy gave up and admitted he was completely in love with his teammate. 

“Dork,” Billy declared upon opening the door, having hastily shoved at least a week’s worth of dirty clothes in his closet in lieu of properly cleaning up.

“You’re the one with the sign,” Teddy countered, grinning. “I just wanted to get in.”

Billy stood aside from the door to let Teddy in, then kept on standing there, rooted, when his mom called up from the bottom of the steps to tell him to ‘ _Keep the door open, young man_.’ 

“...she knows I’m here for Trig tutoring, right?” the blond asked, nevertheless settling down on the edge of Billy’s unmade bed with his bag in his lap.

Ultimately, Billy knew it drove his parents - both betas, with two other sons who were both betas - absolutely crazy to have an omega in the house, if only from the mostly-always-freaking-out parental perspective. His life was a series of schedules, pills, and questions most days, while he looked for the assertiveness he’d used with the team to tell his parents to give him some privacy for once in his life. The concern was well-intentioned, but smothering.

“Yeah,” he finally answered, leaving the door open a foot before grabbing his own bag and settling onto his bed with his back against the headboard. “No, I’m sure she’s just - er, wondering - because you’re the first non-omega friend I’ve invited over. That and she’s a behavioral psychologist. She gets kind of intense.”

Teddy just smiled, like that was a perfectly reasonable explanation. “My mom’s a real-estate agent,” he explained. “She gets intense about weird things. Like staging. She buys ambient roses, Billy. They’re a _gift for the room_.” 

Having a laugh at their parents’ assorted neuroses was a good tension breaker and helped them crack open their books without any awkwardness. 

The spine of Teddy’s book actually did crack when he opened it, like he might not have been using it at all that semester, while Billy’s sort of flopped with the ease of well-worn signatures. 

In spite of that, it only took an hour of going over Teddy’s latest homework assignment for Billy to declare, “So, you actually know everything about Trig? I feel like a pretty useless tutor, here.”

Teddy’s smile was shy, but still bright - and a little distracting. “I guess so. It’s just when I get into class ... ”

“Do you have problems with tests? Or is it just, like, being in a class with that guy?”

“Greg,” Teddy supplied and his smile was gone in an instant, which caused Billy to frown. “I guess it’s just mainly that. He makes me nervous. Says things about me when I get called on in class.”

Billy hunched his shoulders in a shrug, setting his book aside to edge a little closer to Teddy across the bed. “Look, I’m sort of an expert on bullies. He’s only doing it to get a reaction. To see you flinch, basically. You let your grades in this class tank because he’s a jerk and that’s letting him win.”

Teddy looked down at his open Trig book and shook his head. “It’s worse than that. I ... kind of had a thing for him.” 

It took a few moments of Billy patiently waiting for more information, without casting any judgment, for Teddy to admit: “So, uh, I told him how I felt. And I told him what I told you the other week. About me. About how I figured it all went with my shapeshifting powers. He thought it was pretty great - at first. Until I wouldn’t change into whoever he wanted to get us into parties or clubs, until I wouldn’t mimic a certain smell to - to - ”

He stopped there and Billy could fill in the rest with his imagination. He reached across the distance between them and took Teddy’s hand in his. “That doesn’t sound like the kind of person you want to be with or the kind of friend you want to have, does it?”

Teddy just shook his head without looking up, his cheeks bright red with embarrassment. 

“The thing about guys like Greg,” Billy explained, because he really was an expert after so many years of getting shoved up against lockers and laughed at in the showers after gym, “is that they get off on making you feel like shit. When you don’t react, they try harder, because that’s what makes them feel powerful. Most people who are bullies at school _get_ bullied at home. They feel weak and the only thing that makes them feel better is pushing those feelings onto someone else.”

While Billy spoke, Teddy focused his attention on their hands, rather than his book, and finally looked up at Billy properly once he finished speaking. “What’d you do to stand up for yourself?”

Billy felt his face heat with shame. “I, uh, landed a kid in the hospital when my powers manifested. If my school didn’t have security cameras showing I’d been provoked with violence into defending myself, I’d probably be in jail or something. Now, er ... everyone at school thinks I’m a freak and I mostly get ignored by everyone equally.” 

So, really, it wasn't standing up for himself, Billy was trying to convey, but he wasn't sure if it got through. He didn't want Teddy to think putting Greg in the hospital was a good idea - not that Teddy ever seemed to think anything like that was especially brilliant. He was way too good of a guy.

It was about that time that Mrs. Kaplan let herself into the room through the partially open door with a tray of snacks, giving them both an arch look at the way they were sitting on the bed, holding hands.

“This isn’t what it looks like,” Billy blurted out - which only succeeded in making both his mom _and_ Teddy laugh.

“Just keep your door open,” Mrs. Kaplan reiterated, setting the tray of cookies and lemonade down on the bedside table before heading back out of the room - and leaving the door flung open wide.

Teddy reached for a cookie while Billy sprawled back against his pillows and wished for death. “What? I think your mom’s pretty cool.”

◊

Their training sessions collided with new comic day more often than not, but Billy had a free period at the end of the day and could leave school early if he had nothing to do in study hall. It was crowded, as always, but all he had to do was pick up an extra copy of something he knew Teddy wanted, along with his own pull list, and then he was back outside, taking a ridiculous selfie with his phone, holding up the comics.

‘ _Guess what we’re doing after Fight Club?_ ’ he sent with the photo. 

It took longer than normal to get a response, but by the time Billy got back to his bike, Teddy had responded: ‘ _Wow. Hi. Took me a whole minute to realize there were comics in that picture, too._ ’

‘ _So what did you think we were going to be doing after Fight Club?_ ’ Billy texted back, not entirely sure if it was possible to flirt through text. He thought Teddy might be flirting, he thought _he_ might be flirting, but text didn't really lend itself well to tone.

Teddy never responded and looked about five shades of green darker when they finally met up at training that night.

◊

It was Teddy’s suggestion that they use his mom’s self-help books, that maybe guided meditation would help Billy focus on not exploding things or dropping out of the sky. It was a good suggestion, it really was, but Billy felt too ridiculous to practice a mantra, especially shirtless on Teddy’s bedroom floor, so they ended up making eggless cookie dough from a recipe on the internet and sprawling across Teddy’s bed, ignoring an episode of Mythbusters.

“Who’s richer, Bruce Wayne or Oliver Queen?”

Billy got another spoonful of cookie dough, before supplying, “Smaug. Forbes voted him richest fictional character. $64 billion.”

Teddy laughed and it was distracting. Really distracting. It was probably the angle, with Teddy propped up on his elbow next to where Billy sprawled on his back at the foot of the bed, the bowl of cookie dough wedged between them. In fact, if Billy were to think about it really hard, the bowl was kind of the only thing making sure they weren’t pressed together. It was a pretty small bed and Teddy was kind of a huge guy.

“I think Scrooge McDuck is richer than Bruce Wayne, technically,” Billy went on, mostly to cover the fact that he was staring. “Isn’t Wayne just a millionaire?”

“Wayne Enterprises is a multi-billion dollar corporation,” Teddy answered. “God, you really do just read all the Marvel titles, don’t you?”

Billy fought the urge to blush, instead picking up Teddy’s spoon from the bowl and offering him more cookie dough before he stopped to think properly about what he was doing. “You’re just jealous that Steve Rogers actually moonlighted as an artist on Captain America.”

Somehow, Teddy took the spoon in his mouth and rolled his eyes and still managed to look gorgeous. “Yeah, right,” he eventually answered, grinning. “That’s so not even the coolest thing ever.”

“Dork,” Billy declared. He dropped his spoon into the bowl and sprawled out fully on his back, folding his arms under his head.

Teddy dropped his own spoon, but hovered a little closer, watching Billy with a smile that could only be described as ... doofy.

“What?” Billy wondered.

The question seemed to bring Teddy back to himself and he blushed. “Oh. Uh. I was - kind of wondering if you wanted to do something this weekend. A movie or something.”

Billy hesitated, but smiled. “Like a date?” 

“If that’s cool,” Teddy answered, suddenly even more unsure of himself. “I mean, I know I’m not - but I guess I figured maybe you’d rather if I wasn’t - ”

It took Billy a moment to work out what Teddy was trying to say. He shifted onto his side and reached out to touch Teddy’s arm. “Hey. It’s totally cool. _You’re_ totally cool. None of that other stuff matters.”

Teddy looked skeptical and Billy didn’t blame him for it. With the media the way it was, they had no choice but to be bombarded all day, every day, with images that reinforced stereotypes neither of them played to. Teddy wasn't the _top dog_ or _stud_ all the shaving cream ads told him to be and Billy wasn't the _bitch in heat_ from the fragrance commercials. And they both managed to drink Dr. Pepper 10 without spontaneously exploding, even though it was a drink for alphas that no one else could understand.

“So ... scary movie or funny movie?” Billy asked, deciding on a change of subject.

From there, they debated the merits of both, until Teddy’s mom came home with Chinese takeout.

◊

It wasn’t Wednesday, but Billy had a book bag full of comics as he headed to an unfamiliar neighborhood to meet with Teddy when school let out.

After a few successful, if nerve-wracking, dates and at least one awesome goodnight kiss, Billy was feeling pretty good about the two of them. Teddy was different from anyone who’d ever shown any interest in Billy. He was considerate and thoughtful and probably the furthest away anyone could get from alpha mentality. The longer Billy was around Teddy, the easier it was to forget that part of himself, that part of society, and Billy could just be a person, instead of a person waiting to dissolve into animalistic urges. 

Part of him wondered what would happen, some day, when he did lose himself to baser instincts, but Billy was doing his best not to think about it. For now.

It was Friday and there were no Fight Club plans until tomorrow night, so they decided to spend some time at Teddy’s, swapping favorite comics and playing video games. It was kind of the best geek date Billy could have wished for.

The street bustled with students freshly let out of their last classes and Billy moved to the agreed upon street corner, near the school building’s main entrance, to wait for Teddy. It wasn’t long before he spotted the other boy - maybe even his _boyfriend_ , if he was going to be bold about it - heading down the main steps, shoulders hunched and head down. A group of jocks, all playing to stereotype, followed after him, hurling insults and exchanging high-fives.

Billy moved to meet Teddy as he stepped onto the sidewalk, right into the narrowed field of vision his walking with his head down caused. “Hey,” he greeted. “How are you?”

Teddy’s shoulders hunched impossibly more and he barely looked up, until Billy reached up and cupped his cheek in hand. For a moment, Teddy looked downright alarmed, until Billy’s smile inspired one of Teddy’s own. 

“I’m okay,” he answered, reassured, but they both knew it was a lie.

Behind him, the jocks kept shouting insults - cat-calling, now, with rude gestures and disparaging remarks - and Teddy almost looked over his shoulder, until Billy turned his head back. “You’re supposed to ask me how I am.”

Teddy’s brow creased in a concerned, pained expression and he dropped his voice down low to ask, “Can’t we just go? I’m so sick of those guys.”

As much as Billy hated that look on Teddy’s face, he still shook his head. “Not until you ask how I am and kiss me. I’ve been thinking about it all week.”

The look dissolved in an instant, replaced by a smile, and Teddy asked, “How are you?”

“Good,” Billy answered. “Looking forward to a date with my boyfriend.”

Teddy’s face lit up like Christmas, his smile huge and bright, and for a moment he must have completely forgotten about the bullies. He put his arm around Billy’s waist and pulled him in close, kissing him eagerly.

If Teddy outright ignoring their insults wasn’t enough, Billy wound his arms around Teddy’s neck and exuded the very best _satisfied omega_ scent he could muster, between pills and having absolutely no experience being satisfied by anything other than his hand. He could tell from where he stood that all but one of the group were alphas and nothing burned an alpha more than knowing they weren’t the one to cause a scent signal like that. Billy didn’t bother looking for a reaction; the demands of ‘ _how the hell did Altman manage to tame a piece of omega tail_ ’ were far from quiet and more than enough for him.

“Come on,” Billy urged when they broke apart for a breath, Teddy looking glazed and pleased with himself. “I want ice cream on the way to your place.”

“Okay,” Teddy agreed. He was grinning like an idiot when Billy took a step back and grabbed his hand.

It wasn’t until they were two or three blocks away, with the last noise of the school fading into the cacophony of other city sounds, that Teddy finally asked, “So ... I’m your boyfriend?”

Billy grinned. “You’re my boyfriend.”

“Cool.”

◊

The whole battle was a blur.

When it was over, Billy felt sick. It was a worse kind of sick than losing a friend and being lectured by the Avengers. It wasn’t even on the same scale as feeling sick about Captain America threatening to forcibly stop them from being superheroes.

Eli gave him a wide berth and Cassie moved in closer, which was a glaring neon sign that something was very wrong. He focused, asked if anyone else needed a ride home, then stepped onto the blue platform with Teddy and Cassie. It took all his concentration, all his stupid mantras from Teddy’s mom’s self-help books, to get them into the air and across town to Cassie’s bedroom window. 

After seeing her inside, everything shorted out briefly and it was a straight plummet down to street level, Billy barely catching them before they broke something hitting the pavement. The blue magical disc cut out again a second later, but the jolt of landing didn’t quite make it to his brain. Before he knew it, Billy was leaning heavily into Teddy, his head swimming and his stomach twisting into knots.

“Billy?” Teddy asked, his voice concerned, but distant. 

“Home,” was all Billy could think to answer. 

His head didn’t clear again until they were standing in the hallway outside his family’s condo, with Teddy rifling through his bag for a key. He had to wonder how Teddy got past the doorman at this hour, but he didn’t question it. His boyfriend was a shapeshifter.

“Your parents are out of town, right?” Teddy asked, his voice verging on alarmed. “Are - are you sure you shouldn’t go to a hospital?”

Billy wished he could find the words to tell Teddy it was okay, to explain things, but he really needed to get out of his costume before it smothered him and drink some water and - and -

He blinked and somehow found himself standing in the middle of his bedroom on the other side of it. Relieved, Billy dropped his bag and shrugged out of his cloak after fumbling at the buttons on the collar. His headband went next, along with the wings, and he spent what felt like a year fumbling with his belt before Teddy took pity on him and helped.

“Is this - ” Teddy began and fumbled, his throat working mesmerizingly as he gulped down air and tried to straighten his words. “Are you ... ?”

Somehow, Billy always knew what Teddy was asking. “Yeah,” he answered. “But it’s - it’s controlled. Need - pills - bathroom cabinet.”

That was the short version. 

When he abruptly hit puberty like a car careening into a brick wall, his doctor prescribed suppressants to minimize his scent and regulate his heat cycle, until it was down to one precisely scheduled, precisely controlled heat per year. It was supposed to happen over spring break, which was next week, but - well - here they are. Billy could almost hear his doctor’s monotonous tone warning about times of extreme emotional duress interrupting a schedule and he figured you couldn’t get any more emotional than the world almost ending because _hello, Kang the Conqueror_. 

While Teddy was in the bathroom, probably staring at the contents of the medicine cabinet, Billy sat down hard on the edge of his bed and struggled with his boots. It was a slow process, or a process that felt slow, and once it was over, he got to his feet and stripped out of his uniform right down to his skin tight bikini briefs. He thought about being embarrassed, thought about having complained about _panty lines_ in his costume, then laughed at himself, kind of deliriously. 

“...oh,” came a soft, surprised noise from behind him. Teddy was back, holding out a bottle of pills and a glass of water when Billy looked. He was staring up at the ceiling, trying not to look at Billy while he was undressed. “Um. Sorry. I should - go. Right?”

It took Billy having one of the pills from the bottle and the entire glass of water to make the room stop tilting to one side. He didn’t answer Teddy’s question until he had a t-shirt and pajama pants on, moving over to touch Teddy’s cheek to pull his attention away from the ceiling. 

“It’s late,” he finally said, with an amount of clarity that surprised him. “Your mom will be worried.”

Teddy hesitated, then covered Billy’s hand with his own. “I’m worried about you. Do you - I mean, I don’t know what you need. I don’t think I can - ”

Whatever Teddy intended to say just didn’t come out right, but Billy knew what he meant. Teddy hardly noticed scents, didn’t present in any direction, and was mostly just bemused by all this ... stuff. An alpha - or even a beta - would be doing everything in their power to get Billy into bed, but all Teddy wanted was to make sure he wasn’t sick or hurt. It was amazing.

“I’m just going to be uncomfortable for a while,” Billy admitted, his medicine already doing wonders to clear his head - and make him a tiny bit drowsy. “Hot and cold, achy, dehydrated. But it’s fine. I don’t need - you know - _that_.” He sure as hell _wanted_ it, intensely, but no more than he normally did as a horny teenager. Billy could sure as hell put it out of mind with enough movies and sleep. He usually did. 

Teddy nodded. “I could stay for a little bit,” he suggested after an uncomfortable pause. “Until you go to sleep. I’d feel better knowing you’re okay.”

There was no way Billy couldn’t agree with that. He got Teddy an extra t-shirt and pajama bottoms from his drawer, because Teddy’s costume was ripped to shreds, then settled into bed, enjoying the cool sheets on his warm skin. 

After changing (and shrinking to a smaller size, still, to fit into Billy’s clothes), Teddy refilled Billy's glass with more water and crawled into bed. He sat on top the covers like a real gentleman, just leaning against the headboard, and coaxed Billy to put his head in his lap so he could stroke Billy’s hair.

“This is probably why Eli had his doubts about me,” Billy said after some long moments of teetering on the edge of sleep. It must have caught Teddy off guard, given the way his hand stopped. “Being an omega, I mean. This could have put us in serious danger out there.”

“But it didn’t,” Teddy pointed out. His tone was just as fierce as it was that first night he defended Billy against Eli’s questioning. “You held it together. Better than most of us, even.”

Billy didn’t say anything, he was too busy blinking slowly, but Teddy must have taken the silence as disagreement. “Everyone has something they think makes them weak,” Teddy went on. “But - I think those things really make us stronger.”

Curious, Billy turned his head to look up at Teddy and was surprised to find the other boy on the verge of tears. “You disappeared. Into the timestream. Do you remember that?”

“Sort of,” Billy admitted. Everything kind of blurred together around the edges, but he remembers trying to make Nate forget - then Nate hit him - and after that ... nothing. Not until they were back in the statuary garden.

Teddy went back to stroking Billy’s hair, frowning. “I ... I hulked out. _Literally_. I’ve never done that, Billy. I was so angry. And scared. I thought I lost you.”

Billy wanted to reach up, touch Teddy’s cheek to reassure him, but he was really tired and only managed to get as far as Teddy’s chest. “It’s not - ”

“It is the same,” Teddy cut him off. He knew what Billy intended to say, the same way Billy always knew what Teddy meant. “I think about you every time we’re out being superheroes. When I can’t see you, when I’m worried you’re hurt, and if we ever get to be superheroes again without Captain America coming after us, I know I’ll think about you disappearing right in front of me and be scared to death of losing you.”

Billy’s fingers reflexively tightened into the worn cotton of the t-shirt Teddy wore, worry creasing his brow and tugging down the corners of his mouth. “Teddy ... ”

“That could put us in danger, too,” Teddy explained. 

“I can’t change being an omega,” Billy argued, gently, not sure if he felt hot and flustered _just_ because of the heat.

Teddy just brushed his fingers through Billy’s hair. “You think I can just change how I feel?”

It was sweet. Probably the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to him. And Billy couldn’t argue with it, didn’t want to, just like Teddy probably figured he wouldn’t. He smiled, drowsily, and let his fingers relax from gripping the front of Teddy’s shirt.

“Get some sleep,” Teddy urged. “I’ll be right here, okay?”

Billy meant to answer, really intended to, but sleep sounded nice. Teddy being there sounded nice, too. He never wanted anyone around before, never wanted to succumb to the lure of being a mindless animal around someone who might take advantage. But this was different. _They_ were different. And it was amazing.

“Thanks,” he half-mumbled before sleep took a firm hold on him - or so he thought, not entirely sure if he even spoke until Teddy leaned down and kissed his forehead.


End file.
